Day 16 — Healed to Serve

“So He went to her, took her by the hand, and helped her up. The fever left her, and she began to serve them.”

— Mark 1:31 (BSB)

It was early in Jesus’ ministry. He had just finished teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum, and He went with His disciples to the home of Simon Peter and Andrew.

But when they arrived, something was wrong. Simon Peter’s mother-in-law was sick in bed with a high fever. In those days, a fever could be very dangerous.

The disciples told Jesus about her right away. And look at what Jesus did: “He went to her, took her by the hand, and helped her up.”

Jesus didn’t just say a word from across the room. He went to her. He took her hand. It was personal and gentle.

And immediately, “the fever left her.” She was completely healed! She didn’t need to rest for a few days to get her strength back. She was well.

Then the Bible tells us what she did next: “she began to serve them.”

She was so grateful for what Jesus had done that she got right up and started taking care of Him and His friends. Maybe she made them dinner, brought them water or made them comfortable. Her first response to being healed was to serve.

That’s a picture of what happens when Jesus touches our lives. He doesn’t just rescue us so we can go back to living for ourselves. He heals us and sets us free, and then we get to serve Him and others with grateful hearts.

Think about everything Jesus has done for you. He forgave your sins. He made you His daughter. He’s with you every day. When you really understand how much He’s done, you’ll want to say thank you, and one of the best ways to say thank you is to serve.

Serving isn’t something we do to earn God’s love. It’s something we do because of His love. Like Peter’s mother-in-law, we serve because we’ve been touched by Jesus.

Think about it: Why do you think Peter’s mother-in-law started serving right after she was healed? How can serving be a way of saying thank you to Jesus?

Try this: Think of one thing Jesus has done for you. Then serve someone today as a way of saying thank you to Him.

Dear Jesus, thank You for everything You’ve done for me. You took me by the hand and lifted me up. Help me respond like Peter’s mother-in-law, with a grateful heart that wants to serve. In Your name, Amen.